Municipal Court

Hondo Municipal Court is located City of Hondo Municipal Building, at the corner of Avenue M and 17th Street. Hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The Court is responsible for adjudication of all Class C misdemeanors, which is inclusive of Traffic, Penal, City Ordinances, Education Code and Alcohol Beverage Code. The Court Processes an average of 3,000 cases a year. The Court also issues an average of 500 warrants a year. The Court collects court costs for the State of Texas which is payable to the Comptrollers Office on a quarterly basis for approximately 16 different state funds on each citation conviction. The Court Staff is inclusive of a Court Clerk, Municipal Court Judge, City Prosecutor, and Bailiff.

*Location and dates are subject to change. To confirm court dates, time, and location, please call: (830) 426-7058

Note: The Judge and Prosecutor are only here on court day. If you want to speak with either one of them, make sure you appear on your scheduled court date. Remember! It is considered ex parte communication to discuss any facts of the case with the judge or prosecutor that would hinder them from determining final judgment on the case.

The Court accepts cash, credit cards/debit cards (Visa/Master Card) and money orders made payable to the City of Hondo. Please allow 7 business days after issuance of ticket to submit your payment.

Personal checks are Not accepted.

We now offer Online Payments, for your court fines/fees, however, if you would like to take a defensive driving class or probation, you will need to contact the court prior to paying online. Payment plans are available. Contact clerk for more inforamtion. Community service may be granted pending the Judges approval.

Bench/Jury trials are scheduled as needed. Monthly court dockets are posted at City Hall forty eight-hours prior to court day. All persons entering the courtroom should be dressed in clothing reasonably befitting the dignity and solemnity of the courtroom proceedings (e.g., shorts, flip-flops, tank-tops or T-shirts are not permitted).

FINES

The facts and circumstances of each case determine the amount of fine the court assesses. Mitigating circumstances may lower the fine, even if you are guilty. On the other hand, aggravating circumstances may increase the fine. The range of punishment or fine most municipal court violations is as follows:

Traffic Code Violations $1- $200

Class C Penal Code Violations $1 - $500

Class C Violations Outside the Penal Code $1 - $1000

City Ordinance Violations $1 - $2000

The fine does not include court costs which will vary from case to case. You will be expected to pay for fine and court costs at the time your case is heard. Court costs must be paid regardless of whether you have actually appeared in court. Mailed payments must have court costs included. State law requires an additional $25 be added to each case for any fine not paid within 30 days of judgment. Further, an additional $25 will be added to any offense occurring in a school zone.

APPEARANCE

A defendant who is 18 years of age or older may make an appearance in person or by mail. However, if the defendant is a juvenile, or a minor in alcohol or tobacco related offenses, appearance must be made in person with their parent or guardian.

FAILURE TO APPEAR / PAY FINES

Once a defendant has failed to appear in court or pay his/her case(s), their license will be placed on hold thru Omnibase Services and $30 will be added to each case that is reported to them. Once payment is received in full, the court will release the hold. It usually takes 2-3 days for the case to be removed from your driver’s license. If you are unsure if another court besides ours has a hold on your license, you may contact Omnibase Services toll free at (800) 686-0570.

If you fail to appear/pay and you do not have a driver’s license, warrants will be issued for your arrest. If you are unsure if a warrant has been issued, contact the court for more information.

The court is also contracted with a collection agency for the purpose of the collection of delinquent fines/fees.

PLEAS

Under our American system of justice, all persons are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. On a plea of not guilty, a formal trial is held. As in all criminal trials, the State is required to prove the guilty of the defendant “beyond a reasonable doubt” of the offense charged in the compliant before a defendant can be found guilty by a judge or jury.

Your decision concerning which plea to enter is very important. Please consider each plea carefully before making a decision. If you plead “Guilty” or “Nolo Contendere” in open court, you should be prepared to pay the fine and court costs immediately. You should contact the court clerk’s office regarding how to make payment. Do not hesitate to appear either at the Court or the window to resolve your warrants. This is a safe haven from attempting to take care of your warrants.

Plea of GuiltyBy a plea of Guilty, you admit the act is prohibited by law, that you committed the act charged and that you have no defense or excuse for your act. Before entering your plea of Guilty you should understand the following:

The State has the burden of proving that you violated the law (the law does not require that you prove you did not violate the law);

You have the right to hear the State’s evidence and to require the State to prove you violated the law; and

A plea of Guilty may be used against you later in a civil suit if there was a traffic accident (another party can say you were at fault or responsible for the accident because you pled guilty to the traffic charge).

Plea of Nolo Contendere or No ContestA plea of No Contest means that you do no contest the State’s charge against you. You will almost certainly be found guilty, unless you are eligible and successfully complete a driving safety course and/or court-ordered probation. A plea of No Contest cannot be used against you in a subsequent civil suit.

Plea of Not GuiltyA plea of Not Guilty means that you are informing the court that you deny guilt or that you have a defense in your case and that the State must prove what is has charged against you. If you plead not guilty, you will need to decide whether to hire an attorney to represent you. If you represent yourself, please see the section on Presenting the Case at Trail to help you better understand the trial process.

DEFENSIVE DRIVING

You may choose to take defensive driving to prevent an offense from appearing on your driving record. The court will need to obtain a copy of your driver’s license along with your current insurance card. You will then need to sign an affidavit stating that you have not taken a driving safety course within the last twelve months. Payment of the court costs associated with the case along with a $10 administrative fee will need to be paid before the court grants you permission to take the course. Once all costs are paid, you will have 90 days to complete the course and provide the court with proof of that completion along with a copy of your driving record. The court will provide you with a form that you will need to submit to the TX Dept of Public Safety along with $10 to obtain your driving record.

DEFERRED DISPOSITION

Another option you have is Deferred Disposition. You must be at least 25 years of age and agree to a probation period between 1-180 days. Your probation period and deferral terms are determined by the judge. Court costs associated with the case must be paid up front to start the deferral process. The fine may be paid by the end of the deferral period or at the time that court costs are paid. If you do not comply with the terms of your deferred disposition, additional charges may be added to your case and the case will be reported to TX DPS as well.

PRESENTING THE CASE AT TRIAL

As in all criminal trials, the State will present its case first by calling witnesses to testify against you. After prosecution witnesses have finished testifying, you have the right to cross-examine. In other words, you may ask the witnesses questions about their testimony or any other facts relevant to the case. You cannot, however, argue with the witness. Your cross-examination of the witness must be in the form of questions only. You may not tell your version of the incident at this time-you will have an opportunity to do so later in the trial.

After the prosecution has presented the case, you may present your case. You have the right to call any witness who knows anything about the incident. The State has the right to cross-examine any witness you call.

If you so desire, you may testify in your behalf, but as a defendant, you cannot be compelled to testify. It is your choice and your silence cannot be used against you. If you do testify, the State has the right to cross-examine you.

After all testimony is concluded, both sides can make a closing argument. This is your opportunity to tell the Court why you think that you are not guilty of the offense charged. The State has the right to present the first and last arguments. The closing arguments may be based only on the testimony presented during trial.